Journey to Estonia: Precious Independence

In the United States of America, we just celebrated 233 years of independence. We don’t quite take it for granted, but we’ve had it for a long time, and we are used to it.

In Estonia, it has only been 17 years since this small republic’s re-emergence from Soviet domination. In fact, just about all Estonia’s neighbors have dominated this small country since 1227. In 1918 independence was finally achieved, but lasted only until 1940, when Russia took control, then Germany and, in 1944, Russia again. There is still fear that, somehow, the Russians will find a way to come back, and this results in a fierce patriotism.

My husband Allan and I are in Estonia to experience the Song and Dance Festival, held once every five years.It is very clear that this is much more than a folk festival.It is also a reunion for Estonians who fled during the Second World War to Sweden, Canada, the U.S. and many other places.It is an emotional celebration of the history, language, songs, dances, costumes and customs, of a people who came close to losing their culture, but through strength of will, preserved it.

As we walk the streets of Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn, with our friends Mari and Peeter, we are greeted joyfully on every block by friends of theirs — friends from Stockholm, the U.S., Toronto, and of course, Estonia.This is a homecoming.

I felt the emotion of that as we watched the folk dance celebration Friday evening, July 3, where 7,460 dancers in a colorful variety of folk costumes from every part of the country moved in choreographed patterns.Pride and joy was evident in the beaming faces of the dancers and the flags waving in the packed stadium.Musically and visually, it was a saturation of color and sound, culminating in a wedding dance, as though all of us, spectators and dancers alike, were part of one big family celebration.

The celebration continued on July 4 with a parade. The 7,460 dancers were joined by 24,705 singers and a few bands in a parade which began at two o’clock in the afternoon and ended at eight o’clock in the evening, with the last choral group marching into the huge festival amphitheater. Children, adults and elders all marched in their folk costumes, grouped by village and by choral or dance group.We also saw guest choirs from Toronto, New York, a few other U.S. cities and several European countries. We estimate that about three percent of the country’s population was in the parade. It seemed like almost everyone else was watching and cheering.

We accompanied the parade to the first evening of the song festival, which continued on Sunday afternoon.Imagine 24,705 voices led by one conductor in opening and closing sections of the two-day, 12-hour concert.In addition to the combined choirs, we heard separately from men (1,317 singers), boys (2,067 singers), children (5,018 singers) and “toddlers” (4,451 singers) as well as other permutations of the groups assembled.Each song was directed by a different conductor.Each conductor was greeted with shouts and cheers from the singers.People waved flags as they sang, and swayed to the music.The voices were clear and strong, the words articulated as in a conductor’s dream.Many of the songs had titles like:“Homesick”, “My Country is my Homeland”, “Greeting” and “The Bee is Flying Towards its Hive.” Mari told me that last song has a special meaning to all the Estonians forced to leave their country; they are the bees, Estonia the hive.

The first festival, held in 1869, was an important expression of cultural pride, even as the Estonian people were part of the Russian Empire.As described in the documentary film, The Singing Revolution, this festival, held every five years, was most recently the site of secret patriotism and rebellion against the Soviet rule.The final song, Kodumaa (“My Homeland”) was a rallying cry right under the noses of the Soviets, and is now sung again, as a reminder of how precious is independence.All roughly 200,000 people in the stadium stood singing it, flags and bouquets of flowers waving, arms linked, with smiles and a few tears.

It was a privilege to spend our U.S. Independence Day holiday across the ocean, with a people who cherish every moment of their newfound freedom.For me, it was a renewal of appreciation for a war fought 233 years ago.